Nicolás Perea (born August 6, 1992) is a Colombian-born American

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

and

beach soccer Beach soccer, also known as beach football, sand football or sand soccer, is a variant of association football played on a beach or some form of sand between two teams of five players each. Association football has long been played informally on ...

player. He last played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

Indy Eleven Indy Eleven is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League (2011–2017), North American Soccer League (NASL) in 2014, b ...

in the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...

in 2019 and represents the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in international beach soccer, contributing to their 2023 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship title.

Early life

Perea was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia, on August 6, 1992, and moved to the United States at age seven, settling in Hallandale Beach, Florida. He played youth soccer with Weston FC and is bilingual in English and Spanish. Perea graduated from Syracuse University in 2014 with a psychology degree.

Career

College

Perea played college soccer for the

Syracuse Orange The Syracuse Orange are the college athletics in the United States, athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East ...

from 2011 to 2014, appearing in 76 matches and scoring 10 goals. He helped Syracuse reach the NCAA College Cup (Final Four) in 2012, their first appearance, and the Sweet 16 in 2012 and 2014. During college, Perea played in the

USL PDL USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will feature ...

with Ocean City Nor'easters in 2013 (12 matches, 2 goals) and

K-W United FC The Kennedy K-W is an American high-wing, strut-braced, single-seat Glider (sailplane), glider that was designed by Harold Kennedy of Dodge City, Kansas, with assistance from Floyd Watson. The aircraft is notable for being assembled from type ...

in 2014 (9 matches).

Professional

Perea signed his first professional contract with the NASL’s Jacksonville Armada on February 10, 2015, playing 24 matches across 2015–2016. He joined

side Rio Grande Valley FC in September 2017, making 33 appearances and scoring 3 goals over 2017–2018. In 2019, Perea played for

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

’s

Des Moines Menace Des Moines Menace is an American soccer team based in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. The Menace have had sustained success in USL Lea ...

, recording 12 appearances and 2 goals. He signed with

’s

on August 27, 2019, appearing in 5 matches before the season’s end. Perea has not played professionally in the USL Championship since 2019, focusing instead on beach soccer.

Beach soccer

Perea transitioned to beach soccer in 2019 after a local exhibition match in Florida led to an invitation to a U.S. national team camp in Fort Lauderdale, scouted by coach Francis Farberoff. He debuted at the 2021 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, scoring 3 goals and helping the U.S. qualify for the 2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. At the World Cup, he scored 4 goals. In 2022, Perea won the ANOC World Beach Games Qualifiers in

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

and was named U.S. Soccer Beach Male Player of the Year. He earned a silver medal at the Mundialito Gran Canaria. In 2023, he scored 4 goals at the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship in the Bahamas, contributing to the U.S.’s first CONCACAF title since 2013 with a 5–0 win over

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Perea has over 30 international appearances and 13 goals, with 50 career goals in six CONCACAF Championships, the most by a U.S. player.

Personal life

Perea resides in Florida and assists his girlfriend, Taylor Dante,. He has experience in social media management, videography, and photography, and has worked with brands like Smorgasburg Miami.

References

External links

USL Championship Profile

Soccerway Profile

U.S. Soccer Beach Soccer Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perea, Nicolas 1992 births Living people Colombian men's footballers American men's soccer players Colombian expatriate men's footballers Syracuse Orange men's soccer players Ocean City Nor'easters players K–W United FC players Jacksonville Armada FC players Rio Grande Valley FC Toros players Des Moines Menace players Indy Eleven players Men's association football midfielders USL League Two players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players USL Championship players Beach soccer players Footballers from Bucaramanga Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada American expatriate men's soccer players Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Canada 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century Colombian sportsmen